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Der 5. Juni -- the forbidden Wehrmacht  

feature film of the West Front war in 1939.

This military war film, also called Der 5. Juni –  Einer unter Millionen or  in English, The 5th of June – One amongst Millions,  was completed for distribution and ready to be shown in cinemas. The poster was printed, lobby cards and press photos duplicated for cinema owners, the press-book and the Werberatschlag, or cinema owner`s marketuing guide, all printed -- and the film suddenly forbidden overnight. It was never shown publicly in the Third Reich.

The 5th of June was a Wehrmacht war film taking place on the September 1939 Western Front, with the storyline continuing into late 1941. The Director was Fritz Kirchhoff. It was filmed on location in Mühlhausen (Elsaß), Volkenberg, in Bretagne, as well as in Plauen, Döberitz and at the Ufa film studio grounds in Babelsberg/Potsdam between 15 September 1941 and May 1942. The production went over budget by an enormous RM700,000 and was paused for a few months. The film was forbidden by the Censorship Board in November 1942. The precise reasons for the ban were not stated, but there is some evidence that the depiction of the character of Lt. Eickhoff was found unacceptable by the Reich Film Director, Fritz Hippler. There were no military reversals in 1942 that were cited. (Wetzel, K. & Hagemann, P; Zensur –Verbotene deutschen Filme 1933–1945, Verlag Volker Spiess, S.70.).  The long two year delay, however, probably meant the film was less relevant or as important as other much more current war pictures, such as Karl Ritter`s Stukas. The existing copy of the film in the German Federal Film Archives is complete except that the first twenty minutes of the film soundtrack are unfortunately missing.

We have one of the two posters printed for the film’s release in cinemas, which is extremely rare. We also have both the press book and the Cinema Owner’s Guide (der Werbertaschlag), as well as 24 lobby cards, in our Collection.

The cast was an outstanding one with Karl Raddatz, Joachim Breenecke, Karl Ludwig Diehl, and Gisela Uhlen as the four main characters, with Ernst von Klipstein, Hans Richter and others playing young Wehrmacht soldiers.

FILM PLOT SUMMARY

After the death of his father in combat, the young war volunteer Eickhoff is treated particularly harshly by his superior Schulz. Schulz believes he owes this to the legacy of his fallen friend Eickhoff, as he wanted to make his son an officer. The young Eickhoff makes good progress but does not believe that Schulz is a friend and necessary strict educator, but rather a tormentor stubbornly intent on drill. Schulz, the soldier by vocation, hides his disappointment at Eickhoff's increasing coldness behind the consistent fulfilment of his duties. But he does not let up on his concern for his friend's son.

During the invasion of France, the troops are to prove themselves in a guided maneuver. The infantry will cross the Somme at night unseen and only after taking possession of the terrain to be taken in a surprise maneuver will the artillery and Stukas fire up the fortified positions ready for assault, followed by the tanks and tanks working together to push forward with the infantry. The raiding party's nighttime crossing is successful. To secure a so-called "silence nest", a presumably heavily fortified and occupied house on the distant heights above the Somme, Schulz and a squad of twelve men, including Eickhoff, received orders to advance across the river and in that direction. Whatever happens, no shot is allowed to be fired so as not to disturb the opponent and thus reduce the impact of the genersal attack ordered at 4:30 a.m.

Schulz and Eickhoff are taken prisoner without resistance, as loud fighting would have jeopardized the planned attack. Eickhoff manages to free himself and, through his efforts, allows the German soldiers to pass through. In 1941 they see each other again, in Smolensk. All of a sudden and unexpectedly they find themselves face to face: Staff Sergeant Schulz and his former protégé, now Lieutenant Eickhoff. It makes him happy and proud when the young Lieutenant Eickhoff confesses to him: "I owe everything to you, Schulz because I became a soldier with you -- on June 5th …”

The Film-Kurier Tageszeitung article on the film dated 17 April 1942:

Twenty years later –– Exciting scenes in the Ufa film "The 5th of June"
Amiens, St. Quentin, Péronne, Arras - Somme. Villages, towns, a river. The roadside trees have grown long again in over twenty years. The sun glows over the fields. The glittering ribbon of the river swings through the fertile valley.

Life breathes in the small white houses. Twenty years. -- A long time for grey-haired Picardy heads, long enough to ponder the meaning and purpose of the silver ribbon of the river, the flourishing villages and towns. Twenty years covered a terrible waking dream - but against the evening sky stretched long rows of dark crosses.
"We'll force them back into the trenches, these Germans! In weeks of drumming, we will wear them down, wear them out, and then fight the great battle that will force them to the ground! -"

Again, bright flashes shoot into the night sky, the thunder of the guns rumbles, and the crack of the machine guns shatters the seconds. Grey shadows emerge from the darkness of the ground. Slowly they creep towards their target. It has suddenly become quiet. Crickets chirp in the dewy grass, and voices come from somewhere, indifferent, certain, as if there was nothing that could shake them.

Staff Sergeant Eickhoff "pulls" his troop towards him with a wave of his hand. Until now, the French outpost had not noticed their approach. Would the operation succeed? - Suddenly a flash of light flits across the field, a second, a flare slowly floats to the ground.

"Quickly over there to the pines," whispers Eickhoff. Eight men storm across the field and succeed. The staff sergeant repeats the order once again: "Determine whether Kirchbach is free of the enemy!" They wait until bright moonlight lies over the landscape. The pointed church tower of Kirchbach rises in the distance, and the houses of the village gleam. Eickhoff straightens up a little in the cover and puts his night glass to his eyes - then machine gun fire whips through the silence. With a sigh, the staff sergeant slides back into cover. "MG, fight! Range 300 meters, nobody else is coming back!" is his last order to the Unteroflizier. Machine-gun shots rattle hard through the night, bullet shells scatter across the field illuminated by the moonlight - then suddenly silence, almost painful; the battle is over, and the enemy has been forced down.
Scout troop Eickhoff, one name among many that preceded the victorious battles. His deployment played a decisive role in the great event of June 5, 1940, which provided the historical basis for the new Ufa film "The 5th of June”.

The Werberatschlag cover:

BELOW:  The original poster. Two posters were promised but only this one was actually printed. It was also not printed as a typical DIN A0 sized poster, but appeared in the smaller  A1 format only.